mining town, northwestern Western Australia. It lies near Mount Newman, the highest peak (3,455 feet 【1,053 m】) in the Ophthalmia Range. Both the town and the mountain were named for Aubrey Woodward Newman, who died while exploring the region in 1896. Newman was constructed during 1967–69 by The Mount Newman Mining Company Proprietary Ltd. as the residential and service centre for the iron-ore-mining development at nearby Mount Whaleback, one of the largest such projects in the world. In 1975 about 60,000 shrubs and trees were planted at Newman in an attempt to soften its harsh environment; in 1979 an iron-ore-beneficiation plant was completed there, and large quantities of ore began to be exported annually by rail through Port Hedland to the northwest. Mining operations were taken over by the BHP Billiton conglomerate in the early 1990s. The state capital, Perth, lies about 735 miles (1,184 km) by road to the southwest. Pop. (2001) urban centre, 3,516.